


Survival Strategy

by Salicina



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Gender-neutral Reader, Other, Yandere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2020-03-09 14:53:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18919267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salicina/pseuds/Salicina
Summary: Bits and pieces about surviving an all-too-intense love.





	1. Trapped

**Author's Note:**

> Yandere stuff is my guilty pleasure. I think the main appeal is how much the person person loves you, that sort of devotion. It's got that horror-ish twist too. Like Halloween and Valentine's Day mushed together. Then again I'm writing this at 4am in the morning. My thoughts don't make the most sense right now. I need to write longer chapters....T_T
> 
> No actual Ryoma in this chapter. Which means I'll have to put him in the next one. Maybe make the entire from his POV.
> 
> Italics are for direct thought, while bold passages indicate flashbacks.

It’s morning. You wish you could enjoy it more. Run around in the cherry blossoms. Laugh with a friend. 

If only.

You throw off the covers and head towards the closet. _Which one is it today?_ You hope it’s Kagero. She’s at least a little more personable. Though in the end, it doesn’t matter. Neither of them will help you. 

Right now, you’re at least grateful that you’ve earned this much freedom back. You don’t miss the dungeon and its cold chains. As you put the finishing touches on your outfit, you feel another presence in the room. Right on time.

Well, your guess was correct. Neat.

She gestures and you follow, not a foot out of place. Savory scents fill your nose. Mackerel. Simmered daikon. Spinach. Tamagoyaki. And of course, to go with it all, rice. It’s one of Ryoma’s favorite breakfasts. It waits for you, already perfectly plated, with water and tea on the side. You sit down quietly and eat. _It’s the same as that day..._

**Tree branches rake you in the face, leaving stinging cuts. Your breaths are becoming gasps, and your legs can’t keep up with what you want. Everything burns, but it will be worth it. _Just a little more!_ **

**A shout rings through the forest.**

**It’s his voice.**

**_No! Already?!_ Pure panic is your fuel now, lunging you forward. You run towards the endless green of the nature around you, unwilling to look back at the crimson red that’s desperately calling your name. But then there’s something black—**

**You stumble back, falling painfully to the ground. Eyes watering. Nose bleeding. A cry of frustration escapes as you realize just who you ran into. Saizo approaches calmly, a thick rope hanging from his belt.**

Kagero's eyes track the chopsticks in your hand. There’s no more sneaking of utensils. No more sneaking of anything really. You have yourself to thank for that. 

**_I won’t go back!_ You brandish the only ‘weapon’ you could, a simple paring knife. A flash of shock pales his face as he sees the knife pointed towards your own throat. Sure it’s desperate, but what other way is there to escape now?**

**Lightning crackles. White hot pain sears through your hand leaving it red and blistering. There’s nothing more you can do as agony overtakes adrenaline, but be a weepy, whimpering mess.**

You wince at the memory. The chopsticks clatter to the floor, or at least they would have if Kagero wasn’t there to catch them. She doesn’t return them, giving you a dirty look. _I guess I’m done then._ You’re not offended. Using ‘accidents’ to steal supplies and make the guards underestimate you was what you did before. _Seriously though..._ They won’t fall for the same thing twice. Does she really think you’d do the same thing twice? _Ah well. It doesn’t matter._

Today there will be no escape, but there’s always the future. Build up trust again. Learn to manipulate that obsessive love he has for you. 

You will break free.


	2. Marked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got a bit more suggestive than I had originally planned. Oops.
> 
> Time to change the rating. There's nothing explicit though.

Ryoma smiles. It’s finally the end of the day. No more meetings. No more combat drills. The only thing left to attend to is—

A pleasant spark tingles down his spine, igniting every nerve as he remembers. No one else has quite that touch. The only touch that can unravel years of meditation, infecting him with a soothing warmth. With you, he doesn’t need to always be the calm, wise heir of Hoshido; he gets to indulge in all parts of himself. 

Especially the parts that people won’t accept.

What is wrong with wanting to protect what you love? With wanting to mark it so that everyone knows that it is yours? He loves Hoshido. Its warm rays of sunlight and bountiful harvests allow life to flourish. The colors of red and white are marks of its reach, a symbol of safety.

When it comes to countries, everyone agrees. One must be ready to give their life for it, an endless devotion. One must always be aware of its colors and customs, which serve as a gentle warning to outsiders. Show respect, this isn’t yours. So why should it be different when it comes to people? To someone he loves just as much, maybe even more than his country?

Almost feverishly, Ryoma starts to strip off his armor. It’s been so long since he last saw you. _Too long._ He pauses as he reaches his neck. Will your mark still be there?

**He can’t help but chuckle when you shiver as his breath warms your skin. Carefully, his teeth graze along your neck, savoring the way you stiffen underneath him. A single word is mouthed.**

**“Mine”**

**His teeth bite down enough to bruise, but not to break. Pulling back, he admires the deep violet that blooms under your skin. There’s no room for misunderstanding now. Those damned admirers would know to stay away. Or better yet, that self-consciousness of yours would work well. You would avoid them, an even harsher rejection. _Perfect._**

It has been a week. His mark now faded to a faint lilac, almost imperceptible. _Perhaps it’s time to reapply it._ The mere thought stirs the most pleasant of heats. He can wait no longer. Swift and certain, he enters your room.


	3. Delusion and Doubt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A more tender(?) side of Ryoma's love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess I'm happy with how this turned out...but it's so short. Well, at the very least, I'm glad I am writing something versus nothing. I had a little fun with formatting in the original document, it got lost a bit when I copied and pasted it here :(
> 
> Oh well.

You’re so shy.

So cute.

Although you hide your face, I can see it. Always see it. Those tears welling in your eyes, growing and growing until they burst. Shimmering down the cheeks and pooling at the chin. I’m so glad you’re happy. 

I know that you couldn’t believe it at first. A prince falling for a commoner is something most only see as fiction. It really is a low chance, considering the usual need for political marriage and such. Then considering the population of Hoshido...I like to think of that as proof that we are truly special. A miracle!

Even now I feel you freeze as I hold you close. Is it still so shocking? Are you afraid that this is a dream? That reciprocating will break the illusion? 

Don’t worry. I won’t disappear. If it’s what you need, I’ll fill you with love every night. Cuddle until our scents mingle. Kisses and nips as markers so you won’t forget. 

…  
...  
…  
…  
...  
...

You truly are happy, right? So please…

Say something.


	4. Patience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to use his delusions.

You’re careful. There’s no option not to be. The pace is painstakingly gradual and tedious, but you can’t afford to mess up. Not after last time.

It starts by welcoming his touch. Leaning into his hands and chest, you embrace the pure physicality of it. Twisted as it is, Ryoma isolating you from everybody except himself and his aloof retainers has you needy for social and physical interaction. Ah, well, that was probably his plan, wasn’t it? Too bad it won’t be working the way he intended. 

You laugh and smile as his eyes widen, and he stares at you in surprise. Then he grins, undoubtedly ecstatic that you’re returning his love. You have learned by now that it is no use feigning emotion around him. Ryoma is a warrior, a lord, trained to read body language and see through deception. So these emotions, these reactions aren’t fake. Not at all. They just come from different places than his deluded mind thinks they do.

Laughter. Because he’ll never see it coming when you’re gone. Because his desperation for your love, once your greatest fear, has become your greatest tool. Because you are actually ticklish and Ryoma happens to be quite a physical lover.

Smiles come easy, stemming mainly from the same places. The biggest being hope. It surges through and drives you as you earn back your freedoms, a clear sign of progress.

Kagero and Saizo remain your biggest hurdles. Some days you wish they were also obsessively in love with you too so that you could fool them just as easily. When you’re alone with them, you have to grip your hope tight. Wring every bit of happiness out of it. 

“Ah Kagero, this breakfast is so delicious!” (If I think that this is good, imagine what my first meal away from all this will taste like?)

“Hey Saizo! Do you think this will be to Ryoma’s liking?” You waltz down the halls of the palace, showing off your new garments. (Your outfit _is_ pretty swanky. Comfortable too. Perks of being entangled with a lord.)

While their suspicion doesn’t flare up, it never seems to lessen either. Maybe that’s the best you can hope for at this point. They are retainers for a reason. At least, they defer to Ryoma’s wishes, and you can use that when the time comes. It will definitely come. 

You grip your hope a little tighter.


End file.
